Quoting Yazoo (Reply 2):Quoting AlitaliaMD11 (Reply 1):
Pier H is mainly used by low-cost carriers. The pier does not have any jetways and passengers board via stairs.

Considering the wonderful weather we are blessed with, all I have to say is: Well that sucks!

It's a short walk, and they usually have stairs at both the front and rear aircraft doors so it speeds up boarding and deplaning. My only flight involving those gates wasn't a low-cost carrier...it was a BA 737-400 from LGW several months ago.

Quoting JRadier (Reply 4):M-ramp is at Schiphol East. Did I miss something

The H gates are the non-schengen departures and the M gates are the Schengen departures for airlines using that pier. Basically if you're on a Schengen flight you come down the corridor on the left and down the stairs to the waiting area for the gate, but if you are on a non-Schengen flight you come through security at the G gates then down the right hand side of the pier and down the same set of stairs. Basically just like the D pier has the lower non-Schengen departures and the upper level for Schengen.

Quoting Viscount724 (Reply 5):My only flight involving those gates wasn't a low-cost carrier...it was a BA 737-400 from LGW several months ago.

Ha, ha, yes, I've noticed BA 737's parked over there amongst the no-frills carriers at the no-frills terminal, and thought it was a bit cheeky. I wonder if that is how BA thinks of its LGW Euro network...?!

It's also worth noting (for those that haven't been there yet) that the no-frills terminal is the furthest from the security entrance (landside to airside) - they make you pay, physically, for being tight-fisted with your ticket (as well as making you get wet in the inevitable pouring rain).

Frankly I'd rather pay a little bit more to be treated like a customer rather than like an inconvenience, but then travelling for me is about the pleasure (& the comfort) of the journey, rather than how quickly & cheaply I can get to my destination. Mind you, Terminal D at AMS is not much more fun than a train station ...

Quoting Rivet42 (Reply 7):It's also worth noting (for those that haven't been there yet) that the no-frills terminal is the furthest from the security entrance (landside to airside) - they make you pay, physically, for being tight-fisted with your ticket (as well as making you get wet in the inevitable pouring rain).

From check-in area 3 at AMS I think those low-cost gates are actually a shorter walk than many other possible check-in to gate distances at AMS. The furthest gates in the B/C/D piers are also a long way from check-in areas 1 and 2. AMS is still a much better and more civilized airport in my opinion than any other major hub in Europe except for ZRH and MUC.

Quoting Yazoo (Reply 2):
Considering the wonderful weather we are blessed with, all I have to say is: Well that sucks!

Personally, I think the lack of seats in the H-pier is a bigger "problem" than the lack of jetways. Having to stand for 30 minutes before boarding the aircraft is not necessarily the most relaxed way of traveling. However, the waiting rooms are still way better than those at LTN, for example.

Quoting Rivet42 (Reply 7):It's also worth noting (for those that haven't been there yet) that the no-frills terminal is the furthest from the security entrance (landside to airside)

I have the impression that it actually takes longer to get to some of the D-gates or the B-gates, than the H-gates. The Shengen/Non-Shengen split does add some walking distance, though. (In the first months, it was Non-Shengen only and had quicker access).

Are the BA flights to LGW regular to the H-pier, or only incidental? I've never seen them there, but then: I usually only see the H-pier in the morning around 08:00 and in the evening around 17:00, and then there are usually only easyJet, SkyEurope and FlyBE aircraft at the gate.

Quoting Rivet42 (Reply 7):Mind you, Terminal D at AMS is not much more fun than a train station ...

What is Terminal D in AMS? I don't think you mean the D-pier (as this is a normal, full-service pier). You mean the H/M-section?

Quoting Joost (Reply 10):Are the BA flights to LGW regular to the H-pier, or only incidental?

It was only a try out for a selected period, now they are moved to the D-pier again.

Quoting Vasu (Reply 9):Do BA get reduced rate then? Or are they paying more to use the LoCo area than the LoCo airlines?

Airlines using the H-pier are not receivig any discount on the airport tarives, but getting shorter turn around instead.
The H-pier is located closer to the runways 18C and 18R, which are the main landing runways, than the B, C, D or E gates.

If you start at far left and go counter-clockwise, the first area where you can see about 6 rows of smaller aircraf are the remote stands mainly used by KL CityHopper Fokker 50/70/100s (and a few other regional carriers using small aircraft). Then the piers with bridges are B and C (both Schengen), D (the one shaped like a fork), E, F, G and finally H. Gates at H pier (if that's what it's called) are the only ones at AMS (apart from the bus gates at far left) without bridges. You can see 4 aircraft parked side-by-side at the H pier, 3 of which look like EasyJet.

The remote stands you mention between the D and E piers (also visible in the photo) are only used for temporary parking/servicing when aircraft have several hours between flights. The aircraft are towed back to a terminal gate for departure. That's one big advantage in my opinion of AMS over several other major hubs in Europe, especially FRA and CDG, where many flights, not just shorthaul regional aircraft, park at remote gates requiring tedious bus trips to/from the terminal. I've never seen that done at AMS except for the KL CityHopper (and similar) flights, and I don't mind the bus service for those flights since the buses drop you close to customs and immigration and reduce walking distances.

(Corrected. Missed one pier in original posting. The last pier with bridges is G followed by the one under discussion without bridges which I think is H.)

Quoting Viscount724 (Reply 13):If you start at far left and go counter-clockwise, the first area where you can see about 6 rows of smaller aircraf are the remote stands mainly used by KL CityHopper Fokker 50/70/100s (and a few other regional carriers using small aircraft). Then the piers with bridges are B and C (both Schengen), D (the one shaped like a fork), E, F and finally G which are the only gates (apart from the bus gates) without bridges. You can see 4 aircraft parked side-by-side at the G pier, 3 of which look like EasyJet.

OK, I see now. Right behind G Pier. I'm familiar with Piers B-G, just didn't look behind Pier G. Thanks! Guess that kind of ruins the view when you're taking the moving sidewalks to the parkade now.

Quoting Viscount724 (Reply 13):
The remote stands you mention between the D and E piers (also visible in the photo) are only used for temporary parking/servicing when aircraft have several hours between flights.

Quoting Viscount724 (Reply 13):The remote stands you mention between the D and E piers (also visible in the photo) are only used for temporary parking/servicing when aircraft have several hours between flights. The aircraft are towed back to a terminal gate for departure.

Those stands are also used for full turnaround, especially during peak times and passengers will be bussed to and from the busgates.

Quoting Flyingfool (Reply 11):Airlines using the H-pier are not receivig any discount on the airport tarives, but getting shorter turn around instead. The H-pier is located closer to the runways 18C and 18R, which are the main landing runways, than the B, C, D or E gates.

well, that's a mixed blessing, in reality, as I've noticed when take-offs are on runway 24, departures ex 'H' and 'G' stands can take up to 30 minutes or more to get there from scheduled push-back time.

And yes, by terminal 'D' I meant the D piers (I'm sure inside the airport it's called terminal D, but I could be mistaken, maybe they just call them 'Departues D'...).

Quoting Rivet42 (Reply 17):And yes, by terminal 'D' I meant the D piers (I'm sure inside the airport it's called terminal D, but I could be mistaken, maybe they just call them 'Departues D'...).

No, I've never heard the individual piers at AMS called "terminals". I'm sure they would want to avoid that terminology since they've always made a point of promoting the fact that everything at AMS is in one terminal unlike most other major hubs in Europe. It is of course a rather long walk (with many moving sidewalks) between the most distant gates in the B pier and those in the G and H piers!